Once you plunge into the world of practicing magic, you soon worry about how to protect yourself from magical attacks. The truth is, 99% of people who think they have been cursed, hexed or jinxed are creating their own misfortune.
While curses and black magic can happen, such a small number of people know how to perform them that they rarely occur.
Many of my clients come to me convinced that they are possessed by a spirit or demon. Possession can also be a very real phenomenon, but usually, the strange experience is caused by internal energy blockages or intrusive energies that are only harmful because they are out of balance, not because they are inherently negative or evil. Energy blocks and intrusions are quite common, while possession is somewhat rare.
But even though the risks of possession or black magic are rare, there is still good reason to err on the side of caution. After all, by studying and practicing magic, you are opening yourself up to a new spectrum of energies, opening to the possibility of spirits or angels or deities or even inter-dimensional beings. Magicians who shift their consciousness through the use of power plants, medicinal herbs, and entheogens are also at risk of psychic intrusion or a good ole fashioned mental breakdown, unless they take the necessary precautions. Regardless of the style of magic they practice, all magicians are fundamentally shifting their consciousness, whether they use power plants or not. So when you alter your perception, you may be surprised to find what—or who—you discover on the other side of the veil.
And while there may not be trained black magicians out there cursing you, the negative thoughts and feelings of others can get stuck to you—an example of an intrusive energy that’s harmful but not necessarily evil. Most of us suffer from the negative thoughts and expectations of family, lovers, or even strangers. A friend or relative who constantly drains your energy is an example of someone unconsciously performing black magic on you.
So what are the necessary precautions? How can you protect yourself from mental breakdown, alien possession, or your roommate’s depressing vibe?
You’ll have to learn one of the essential skills of practicing magicians: casting a magic circle.
A magic circle purifies your space of all unwanted energies, so it’s a great way to banish bad juju. A magic circle can help you deal with a negative person who’s always bringing you down, or to protect your space from absorbing their energy. If you have a strange presence in the house—weird sounds, pockets of cold air, bad dreams—you can cast a magic circle to banish whatever is lingering around.
A magic circle repels bad spirits from your space, while also inviting good spirits to join you. It also focuses your own magical power in one spot, offering protection from harm. All magic ceremony should be performed within a magic circle to protect the spell from outside forces or entities, and to focus the magician’s intent.
There are many ways to cast a magic circle, from simple to complex. The two most common methods are: the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram from the Western magical tradition, and Calling in the Four Directions from indigenous shamanism. The LBRP is the more complex of the two, but you can read these instructions from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn to learn how to perform it.
Both rituals involve facing each of the four directions and honoring their power. The LBRP personifies the directions as the Four Archangels, whereas the shamans personify them with animal totems. To call in the Four Directions, we usually burn an offering of sage or tobacco, or you can simply raise your hands, palms facing outward.
The following is the prayer I say as I turn to face each direction. At the end, I return back to where I started and bring my hands centered over my heart in prayer to finish the last section. Feel free to use this prayer as is or change it however you like.
If you’re completing your ceremony and need to close the magic circle you’ve opened, simply repeat the same prayer, but rather than asking the guardians to grant you their medicine, thank them for it and bid them farewell.
And if you’re using the ceremony specifically as a protection spell, feel free to vocalize your appeal to the guardians in more direct terms. Ask for protection from those who wish you harm. If you are under a genuine magical attack—which is highly unlikely—a simple method of magical defense is to cast a magic circle and remain within it for the duration of the attack. By sleeping in the magic circle until dawn, you will absorb a good deal of protective power.
Casting a magic circle is an essential skill for practicing magicians. They will be employed time and time again to ward off negative vibrations, purify spaces, and ward of intrusive spirits. They are simple, but effective, and can be improvised or embellished as needed.
If even circle casting isn’t enough to solve your problem, you may want to consider letting a professional deal with it. Coming in for a healing session can dissipate much of the negative energy attached to you. And if you’re one of the rare cases who actually is possessed by an intrusive entity and really does need an exorcism or extraction, then it’s best to leave that up to us.